Diamond grinding wheels with abrasive grit matrix cutting surfaces sandwiched between outer steel walls are commonly used in glass edging operations. In recent years these wheels have become useful in edging contours in solar energy panels where precision grinding is essential. The cost of solar panels is high due to the value added processes during production. In addition, any quality issues with the edge profile grinding wheels has become more critically problematic than in the past, such as when edge grinding a more decorative surface of a glass table top, automobile lights, window or even an ophthalmic lens.
Because of the quantity of solar panels being produced and the ever increasing cost of diamond grit materials, retruing of out of specification diamond matrix profiling wheels has become an important function in the manufacture of precision ground solar panels and the like.
Past methods or retruing the wheels typically involve using an abrasive grit grinding wheel to remove the outside metal material and rough profile of a grinding wheel and thereafter to re-profile the proper grove or edge cutting pattern into the matrix.
This process has generally been acceptable. However, the wheels resurfaced by this process and the cost of grinding wheels for retruing is problematic.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art to provide a more precise, cost effective process for retruing of edge profiling grinding wheels which provides superior service capabilities for edge grinding of solar panels and other glass surfaces.